Thank you Holy Spirit for your guidance. I ask you to fill my mind, body and soul with blessing, love and understanding.
Time has not stood still for over 2000 years. The church of Jerusalem centuries ago experienced several demonic attacks as the church today I ask, “What happen? Why were these people so blind to the fact of legalism or conflict over circumcision and other ideas? These people remind me of a guided missile without the guidance system yet the system was already in place.
I continue to pray and ask for direction I’m reminded by the Holy Spirit this is why you are writing on this subject because you are very much like those people today and yesterday. I have given you my Spirit and life to serve my purpose for me and you want to serve this world and every thing in it. You cry out to me and I hear you and my love for you is much more you can bear in this world. So why don’t you follow me? I want you to serve me and me only. You are writing not to please men or yourself, you are writing this paper to seek me and through these words people will follow by your examples. You ask why you were born in LasVegas. The desert is dry much like peoples’ hearts. The ground is dry and every once in while the ground will become wet with my Spirit, they drink and once their mouths are filled, they turn away. You have walked the barren desert in search of me and you have picked up many rocks and throw them far, you see my son that was me. You have picked up many pebbles on your journey and quenched your thirst yet you threw them to the ground and you continued to walk in your path and not mine. The desert becomes hot during the day and cold during the night, your walk has become extremely difficult by day. You are searching the days are long and your body is weak from heat and you thirst but no water to drink My people have walked in the same desert and yet they cried for help and I listen and provided and they turned away like you. You have become focused upon your own survival and not in the days ahead, you are focused within yourself and not others. The spirit of centralization rests upon you. This was prophetically given to me prior to writing this paper.
I believe that Matthew 16:15-20 was the beginning of why one denomination has misled the foundational principals and others to follow. “Who is the Rock”? It was quite clear who the Rock was and still is the Christ. Flesh and blood didn’t give Peter the revelation. Let’s move on to the real facts. I’m looking at Acts 2: 14 this was Peter’s Sermon, speaking to men of Judea and speaking the words of the prophet Joel and they knew these words as they were taught all this before. I could see how angry the Pharisees were starting to become Acts 2:22 and being told you, a man attested by God to you by miracles and wonders that God did through him and have taken by lawless hands, have crucified and put to death. I’ve thought about this many times and I believe that most had to know who they were dealing with. But because they had a reputation and a certain look to keep they were threaten by Christ existence. What did Peter tell them to do, repent can you see the look on their faces? As we begin to see the decline of the Jerusalem church in Acts 7 you the stiff necked and uncircumcised. The father’s persecuted prophets or had them killed because they spoke of the coming of the Just One. They were so angry with Stephen because he spoke the truth he received his death by stoning. Stephen was the first Apostle to give his life for the gospel he was also a Deacon and one of the original seven Acts 6. He was known for his spiritual qualities of faith, wisdom, grace and power.
The church of Jerusalem began to decline when Peter and Paul quit preaching and teaching the Christ and the Glory of God also declined. The decline consisted of four – fold spirits – Judaistic, Centralization, Sectarianism and pride. The Judaistic spirit is a spirit of legalism and bondage. Acts 15:1 – 5 spoke about keeping the Law of Moses if you are not Jewish you can’t be saved. Teaching this said doctrine of salvation talked about external good works. Also, they believed that circumcision and keeping the Sabbath Day were necessary for salvation.
Peter found out this was total false evidence appearing real when he arrived at Cornelius home. Cornelius was a Gentile centurion from Caesarea. I could just see Peter’s face when he finally realized all this is not about the Jewish customs. God had given Peter insight that Jesus had come for the Gentile and the Jew.
The spirit of Centralization was the second of the four – fold. It consisted of everyone staying in Jerusalem and preaching to one another, instead of preaching to the nations. Persecution of the Jerusalem church was necessary in order to scatter the seed. In order for the church to increase scattering was necessary.
The third was Sectarian spirit which said breaking free from your cultural lifestyle meaning the Jewish customs and be willing to be baptized into one body in Christ. Peter had a vision and was unwilling to eat unclean food, but Peter knew it came from God. The Jewish people had not received the revelation of the work done at the cross.
The fourth was the spirit of pride. This has been one I have fought with most of my life. The spirit of “I” or “we” have this or I have done this all about me…. The church of Jerusalem had a spirit of pride. At Pentecost they had received the Holy Spirit and the Word first so look at us if you don’t live by our means or our culture you are not Jewish. But God had second thoughts about all this. Peter had to go to Cornelius’s home to see God’s word had to be scattered throughout the nations. I believe Peter was somewhat a hard person and he had to see things by example.
#EvidencefortheDeclineoftheChurchatJerusalem #Russfwood #Russandnancywood